


On The Run

by padfootagain



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Marauders, Marauders' Era, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 14:35:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16955835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/padfootagain/pseuds/padfootagain
Summary: The night Sirius runs away from his parents’ home, you seem to be the only thing in the world able to save him…





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Be careful with the themes I'm dealing with here. Sirius's family is a rough topic. Be careful you're sensible to these themes.  
> I hope you like it!

James had sent an owl to warn you. You didn’t know much though, the note merely said that Sirius had run away from Grimmauld Place and was now at Godric’s Hollow, and that he needed you. You hadn’t needed more to hurry there.

Sirius was in trouble, and it was enough for you to rush by his side. You could have crossed the world to reach him, and you knew it, so what were a few hours of flight on a broomstick in the middle of the night?

You threw your broomstick in the alley that led to the Potters’ house, careless of the bushes upon which it landed. You were running towards the door, fear clenching your heart.

You knocked on the door, and you were sure your knock was violent enough to wake up the whole house. Only no one seemed to be asleep, there was light downstairs.

James opened the door, and he heaved a relieved sigh at the sight of you.

“Finally!” James exclaimed, inviting you to enter and taking your coat.

“Where is he?” you urgently asked him.

“Upstairs, in his bedroom. He won’t open the door.”

“What happened?”

But James shrugged.

“He just came here, said he had nowhere to go, that he had run away from Grimmauld Place, but that’s basically it. He refused to go to St Mungo’s.”

Your eyes grew wide.

“What do you mean? Why would he need to go there?”

James threw a cautious look at you.

“His parents didn’t let him go that easy.”

You felt your heart break.

“Is he alright?”

But James shrugged.

“My parents want to take him see a Healer, but he won’t hear about it. I thought that… maybe you could convince him.”

You rushed upstairs, heading for the second bedroom on the right.

It had become Sirius’s room along the years, and you knew it. The Potters’ house had always been opened to him.

You knocked softly on the door.

“Sirius?” you called softly. “Sirius, it’s Y/N. Could you open the door?”

Not a sound came from the room.

“Sirius? James sent me an owl, he said you were not well. Could you open the door, love?”

Sirius didn’t answer again.

James was standing at the top of the staircase, staring at you. The two of you exchanged a worried glance.

“Sirius, I’m worried sick about you,” you went on. “Please, open the door.”

You heard something moving in the room, but he still didn’t answer.

“As you wish then,” you said, your voice louder, making sure he would hear you. “I’ll just sit there, in the corridor, on the ground, waiting for you to finally open the door.”

You sat down next to the door.

“You may be stubborn but we both know I’m as stubborn as you are. We can play this game for a long while you and I.”

You heard footsteps walking towards the door from the inside of the room.

“Sirius, open the door,” you asked again, your voice softer again.

“Go away, Y/N,” Sirius replied, his low voice shushed by the wooden door that separated the two of you.

You stood up, getting closer to the door again. And you knew Sirius was standing right on the other side of the wooden surface.

“I’m worried about you,” you said.

“I’m fine. Go away.”

His voice was hoarse, as if he had been crying.

“It’s just me, love,” you told him softly, your tone reassuring. “Why don’t you want to open the door. It’s just me.”

“I… I don’t want you to see me like this.”

You threw a terrified glance at James, but the boy merely looked down at the ground.

“Love, are you hurt?” you asked.

Sirius remained silent.

“Sirius, answer me,” you insisted, and even you could hear the fear shaking your voice. “Are you hurt?”

Sirius cleared his throat.

“I’ll be just fine,” he finally spoke. “Don’t worry about me.”

“ _Don’t worry about me?_ Are you serious?” you snapped, fear making you angry now. “James called me in the middle of the night, saying you were in trouble. I flew here in the cold for more than two hours. And when I arrive, James says that he and his parents have tried to get you to St Mungo’s! How by Merlin’s beard am I supposed not to worry about you?!”

You were shaking by now, you could feel tears wetting the corners of your eyes, blurring your vision. Sirius was everything to you. You were so scared…

You sniffed loudly.

“Sirius, please, open the fucking the door,” you begged. “Sirius, please.”

You heard the loud click of the door being unlocked, and very slowly, your boyfriend opened the door. And your eyes grew wide in horror at the sight of him.

His white shirt was stained with dry blood, his nose was clearly broken although it wasn’t bleeding anymore. His right eye was swollen, a large black bruise covering his eyelid. His left cheek was crossed by a large cut, that seemed quite deep. Another crossed his forehead. His lower lip was cut and swollen, a large bruise coloured his jaw. Another bruise had darkened the skin of his neck, and went on under his shirt, probably covering most of his left shoulder. His black hair was disheveled, and his grey eyes, stained with blood, seemed out of focus.

And that was only what you could see from where you stood. You guessed many other cuts and bruises were hidden under his clothes.

Your hand flew up to cover your mouth in shock as you gasped.

“Sirius…” you breathed.

“I’m fine, they’re just scratches,” he tried to reassure you. “Nothing to be worried about.”

You shook your head, tears running down your cheeks without you being able to control them. You extended your arm to rest your fingertips upon his chin, the only part of his face that didn’t seem to be painful to him.

“What happened?” you asked in a shaky, horrified whisper.

He shrugged.

“Just my parents trying to stop me from leaving.”

“Godric… Sirius you need to see a Healer.”

But he shook his head frantically, taking a step back, his hand resting on the doorknob again. He seemed terrified.

“I won’t go to St Mungo’s,” he firmly stated.

“Why not? Look at yourself! You need to see a Healer.”

“They’ll know where I went then…”

He shook his head again, and there was horror in his eyes.

“If they know where I am, they’ll try to bring me back to Grimmauld Place,” he breathed. “And I can’t go back there.”

“Of course you won’t go back there,” you reassured him, and your voice sounded like a vow.

He intensely stared at you.

“I won’t let them take you back, do you hear me?” you swore.

“There’s nothing you can do against them. My parents have too much power in the Wizarding World. ”

“I’m very good at Transfiguration, remember? I’m sure they would do a lovely pair of cockroaches.”

He let out a little laugh, although it seemed painful to him.

“Sirius, you’re not well. You need to see a Healer,” you insisted. “We could call one to come here. And then no one would know you’re here.”

“You could do that?” Sirius asked, his will slowly weakening.

“Of course we can,” James nodded.

Sirius seemed to hesitate for a moment. But even he knew that he needed help. He nodded slowly.

“Alright then, call him.”

James hurried downstairs, calling for his parents.

“Can I come in?” you asked.

He heaved a sigh, giving up, and he let you inside the room. You made sure to let the door opened behind you as you walked into the bedroom.

You both walked to his bed, and you looked at his face again, the trembling light of the candles showing you even more bruises staining his cheeks.

“I don’t look very sexy right now, do I?” Sirius joked.

You shook your head, tears back in your eyes.

“You look terrible,” you smiled.

“Death of my sex appeal. It’s sad.”

You carefully caressed the part of his neck that seemed unhurt.

“Do I hurt if I do that?” you asked.

He shook his head.

You let your fingers wander down his neck, and to his chest. You could glimpse bruises there too.

You started to unbutton his shirt, but he stopped you, resting his hands upon yours tenderly.

“I don’t want you to see me that way,” he breathed.

“Let me,” you asked.

And he could read such determination in your eyes that he freed your hands from his tender grasp, and let you slowly take off his shirt.

His chest was covered with bruises, so dark that you guessed that he had broken ribs.

You felt tears flow down your cheeks, and you loudly sniffed.

“Hey, baby, don’t cry,” Sirius breathed, running his hand through your hair.

You saw him wincing as he raised his hand to your head, but you couldn’t see any wound on his arm or his shoulder. Although it seemed that his entire body was painful.

“Sirius…” you breathed, praying for your fear not to be true, stuttering as you couldn’t force the name of the curse to pass your lips. “They didn’t… torture you, did they?”

He looked down at the ground, fleeing your intense glance.

“Sirius?”

He looked at you again, and you didn’t need him to speak to know the answer to your question.

“I’m going to kill them for that,” you vowed through gritted teeth.

But he merely smiled in response, stroking your cheek with his thumb.

“We both know you won’t do that,” he whispered. “You wouldn’t hurt a fly. And that’s one of the many things that made me fall so deeply in love with you in the first place.”

You let out a sob, and he pulled you against him.

“Stop crying,” he said softly, resting his lips on your hair. “Baby, stop crying.”

“I’m sorry,” you said, sniffing and freeing yourself from his embrace, shaking yourself. “I’m the one who’s supposed to comfort you, not the other way around.”

He smiled again. You had never seen him looking so exhausted…

“I’ll be just fine,” he reassured you. “As long as they stay away from me, I’ll be just fine.”

“I’ll never let any of them getting close to you again. Do you hear me?” you promised, holding his head in both your hands.

He nodded.

“You look exhausted,” you pointed out.

He gave you a weak smile.

“I’ve felt better,” he admitted.

You scooted against the bedpost, and opened your arms to him.

“Come on, let’s cuddle.”

He grinned, his eyes lingering on your lips.

“You’re cute, you know that?”

“Not as much as my puppy boyfriend.”

He rolled his eyes, before crawling up the bed next to you. He rested his head in the crook of your neck, his eyes immediately closing, while you dropped sweet kisses on his head. One of your hands ran through his hair in a soothing gesture, while he held tightly your other hand in his, intertwining your fingers together.

“You’ll be alright, Sirius,” you tried to reassure him.

You heard him sniffing.

“I’m not so sure about that,” he replied.

“You’ll be happier now that they’re gone. You’ll see. We’ll be happy together.”

“You’re wrong, Y/N.”

You looked down at him, and you could see tears shining on his cheeks.

“Happiness is like the flu,” he said, “at first everyone catches it, but it never lasts for long.”

You struggled not to cry.

“Funny,” you said, trying to control the shakiness in your voice. “That’s what I thought about sorrow.”

He smiled.

“Guess there’s always a pessimistic and an optimistic in a relationship, right?”

“Or perhaps it just means that my good influence on you is weakening with the Summer.”

He chuckled, although you could see that he was still crying.

Actually, he was crying more and more every second.

You took his face in your hands, forcing him to look up at you.

“I love you, Sirius,” you whispered. “You know that, right? You know how much you mean to me? You know you are worth much more than them? You’re wonderful, you know that, don’t you? You know how different you are from them, right?”

He rested his head against your neck once more, and you felt tears fall onto your shoulder.

“Thank you, Y/N,” he whispered in a hoarse voice. “Thank you, for saving me from myself.”

You buried your face in his hair, breathing in his scent of old parchment and sugar.

And when the Healer walked into the room, you were both already asleep.


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, be careful with the themes!

The Healer was reassuring. A few broken ribs, deep cuts, lots of bruises but nothing that could endanger his life. Sirius merely needed a lot of rest to get over the trauma of the night. The wounds his parents had inflected on him that night were not only physical, and his body was the easiest thing for Sirius to heal.

When you cuddled against him again, the sun was rising already, and golden rays of sunshine were igniting the room.

“How are you feeling?” you asked him.

Sirius shrugged.

“Not as bad as you could expect me to feel,” he earnestly answered.

“You’re sure about that?”

“It’s sad to say,” he answered slowly, “but I’m used to it. It was just worse than usual, that’s all.”

He looked down at you, smiling.

“Besides, I have a very beautiful girl in my arms. How could I not feel okay?”

You chuckled, burying your face in the crook of his neck.

“It’s my job to worry about you though,” you replied.

“And it’s mine to reassure you. And to worry about you as well.”

You both smiled.

“What are you going to do now?” you asked him, looking up at his grey eyes, your gaze tracing his long eyelashes.

He shrugged.

“I’ll stay here for a few days, if the Potters agree to keep me here until I’m back on my feet. But I think they will. They’ve always been so kind to me… And then well… I’m penniless, so I don’t really know what I’m going to do.”

“Can’t you stay here?”

He slowly shook his head.

“The Potters have done enough for me already.”

“I saw the way they look at you, how much they were all worried about you. None of them slept tonight, because they were worried about you. You’re like a second son to them. If you ask them, I’m pretty sure they’ll be happy to let you live here.”

“You think so?” he asked, a slight frown of worry on his face.

“I know so,” you nodded.

“I don’t want to be a burden to them,” Sirius shook his head.

You looked up at him with tender eyes. You knew there were very few people in this world who knew this part of him. The tortured, insecure part of him.

“You’re not a burden to anyone here, Sirius,” you reassured him, brushing your fingertips against his cheek.

He looked down at you again.

“You’re sure about that?” he asked, and you could read doubt in his stare.

“Yes, I’m sure about that,” you nodded. “And you know what? If you don’t want to stay at the Potters’, you can still come to my house.”

He laughed.

“Why do I feel like it’s a bad idea?”

“It’s not a bad idea.”

“It is though. I can imagine the scene. Me arriving at your parents’ house with a wide smile saying ‘Hello, I’m your daughter’s boyfriend. Can I get a room please? I have some family issue.’ You think your father will like that?”

“Probably not,” you admitted.

“You’re very kind to me,” he said, intertwining your fingers with his. “You’ve always been very kind to me. But you can’t solve all my problems, Y/N. And it’s okay.”

You heaved a sigh.

“I’m still going to try to always solve all your problems, though,” you replied, smiling.

“Oh, I know you will. You’re too stubborn not to act any other way.”

But you were interrupted by the sound of someone knocking violently on the front door. You took a look at your watch. It was five in the morning.

Who could come to the Potters’ at such an hour?

But then there was the sound of loud voices clashing against one another.

You and Sirius exchanged a terrified glance.

Sirius would have recognized his mother’s atrocious voice anywhere.

He made a movement to stand, but you held him back.

“Don’t go downstairs, the Potters will take care of them.”

“No, I have to go.”

“Sirius…”

“They’re _my_ parents, Y/N. Which means that they’re _my_ problem. Not yours. Not the Potters’.”

He picked up his wand on the bedside table, and before you could protest any further, he was walking out of the bedroom, and you were hurrying behind him.

He froze at the bottom of the staircase, and suddenly silence fell upon the hall.

You had never seen Sirius’s parents before. But there was no doubt to have, concerning his father at least. You had always thought Sirius exaggerated when he talked about his resemblance to his father, but you could witness now with your own eyes that the boy had been telling the truth all along.

They had the same grey eyes, the same cheekbones, the same chin, the same hair. Only Orion’s hair was growing slightly white near his temples, and wrinkles were crossing his brow.

They looked the same but you could see how different they were. In their manner to stand and hold themselves, and in the expression in their eyes. What was hidden into Sirius grey eyes was soft, a bit sad sometimes, like some sweet melancholia. But his father’s eyes were of steel and there was no softness in his gaze, they looked only cunning and somehow cruel.

Sirius slowly walked closer to his parents. He was tightly holding his wand in his hand, so tightly that his knuckles turned white. You rested your hand on his shoulder, as to tell him that you were here, that he wasn’t alone to face them this time.

He stopped before the Potters. You could hear him struggling to calm his breathing.

His fingertips brushed against yours, and he didn’t need to speak for you to understand him, as you held his hand tightly.

“I’m not going back with you,” Sirius firmly stated.

Both his parents clenched their jaws.

“I’m not going back,” Sirius repeated. “Leave me alone.”

“Stop acting like a child,” Walburga snapped.

“I’m not acting like a child.”

“You are though. Running away like you did…”

“Anyway, you don’t have a choice,” his father said slowly, his tone threatening.

You felt Sirius tighten his hold on your hand.

“You depend on us,” Orion went on. “You are not 17 yet. You have no money, no home. What are you going to do now? What happens next in your marvelous plan? Where are you going to go?”

“Any place in this world is better than this house of yours,” Sirius snapped back through gritted teeth.

“This house in which you were fed and sheltered for many years.”

“This house that gave me nightmares for many years.”

“Now stop playing the spoiled child and come without making things worse,” Walburga snapped, raising her voice without even noticing.

“I wouldn’t define myself as a spoiled child,” Sirius replied.

“Now, that’s enough…”

Orion made a movement to grab Sirius by the collar.

But he was met with four infuriated people staring at him.

You pushed gently Sirius behind you and James’s parents.

“You should go now,” James said firmly.

“You should indeed,” Fleamont nodded.

“This is my son,” Orion snapped coolly, taking a step closer to Fleamont. “It’s a family matter. And it’s going to remain a family matter.”

“Get out of my house,” Euphemia snapped back, her cheeks turning red with anger.

“I’m not leaving without my son.”

“Then I hope you have nothing planned for today, 'cause it might take long,” you replied.

Orion looked at you, a mocking smile on his lips.

“So you’re the girlfriend, right?”

Sirius placed himself before you again.

“Don’t talk to her,” Sirius snapped, protecting you.

“You’re rather beautiful, I’ll give you that,” Orion went on, clearly amused by his son’s reaction. “Not particularly smart though…”

Sirius pointed his wand at his father’s throat.

His parents looked at him with wide eyes.

“You dare to threaten us?” Walburga said, aghast, her voice raising a bit more at every word. “What an awful child you are. You FILTHY BOY!”

But the next second, her voice had died out, as Sirius had silenced her.

He turned his wand towards his father again. You were still holding his hand, and you could feel that he was shaking.

“Go away,” Sirius breathed, holding his father’s stare. “You’ll never hear about me again. I’ll never go back to Grimmauld Place, and you can just erase me from your lives.”

“And what will you do now?”

“I’ll find something.”

“You’re not going to get away with this so easily…”

Before anyone could react, Orion had pulled out his wand and Sirius was sent rolling on the ground, a red flash of light hitting his ribcage.

The next second, Walburga and Orion Black were sent flying in the street.

“Don’t you ever come back here, or I’ll call for the Aurors,” Fleamont warned the couple. “Do you hear what I’m saying? If you ever come back I’ll make you be sent to Azkaban for everything you’ve done to him. Don’t try to talk to one of my sons ever again!”

Inside the hall, you were kneeling next to Sirius. He was holding his ribs, slowly sitting up.

“Are you okay?” Euphemia asked him, her voice and eyes full of worry.

But Sirius nodded his head.

“I’m fine.”

You held him tightly in your arms.

“Don’t scare me like that again. Do you here?” you whispered in his ear.

You felt him smiling, his lips resting against your cheek.

“I’m just fine. Just one more bruise won’t kill me.”

Fleamont walked back into the house, closing the door behind him, and you and James helped Sirius to get back on his feet.

“You’re okay, son?” Fleamont asked him.

“I’m fine,” Sirius nodded, although he was still holding his ribs.

“Let’s take a look at this,” Euphemia said.

She guided him to the kitchen and made him sit down around the wooden table.

“I’m fine, Euphemia,” Sirius reassured her.

The boy looked up, his eyes travelling from you to James, and finally to his parents.

“Thank you,” he breathed. “Thank you so much…”

“You’re safe now, okay?” Fleamont reassured him, patting his shoulder.

Sirius nodded slightly. You saw him struggling to swallow, before taking a deep breath.

“I… I know you’ve already done a lot for me. But… could I just… stay here for a couple of days? Just the time for me to get better?”

Euphemia and Fleamont exchanged a frown.

“But where would you go?” Fleamont asked the shaking boy.

Sirius shrugged.

“I don’t know yet. I guess I could get a job at the Leaky Cauldron or something…”

But Euphemia shook her head.

“Don’t be ridiculous, you’re not going to leave this house and get a job. You’re going to stay here and enjoy the rest of the summer.”

“You can’t do that. I mean… you’ve already been bothered enough on my behalf…”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

She kneeled down before him, so she could stare at him, looking straight into his grey eyes. She could see tears shining in his eyes, withheld tears he didn’t want to show. And despite his blank expression his eyes were betraying him.

He was scared, and lost, although he tried to face all that had happened these past few hours on his own, without asking the help he so desperately needed.

She took his hands in hers.

“You’ll always be welcome in this home, Sirius. You’re like a second son to us, don’t you know that already?”

He sniffed loudly, a tear rolling down his cheek.

“You don’t have to face all this alone,” she said softly. “We’re here. And we’re going to help you, okay? And never think that you could be bother us, you will never bother us.”

She took him in her arms, and she heard him struggling not to cry any more.

“You’re going to stay with us from now on, okay?” the elder Witch went on. “You’ll be safe from now on. We won’t let them take you back. They’re not going to hurt any of my sons, do you hear?”

Sirius held her more tightly against him, and she felt him shaking harder as he started to cry more.

But somehow, his breathing was more peaceful, as if a considerable weight had been lifted from his shoulders. As if he had been freed from a burden he had carried for many years. When she looked at him again, he was smiling despite the tears that were running down his cheeks.

She dried his cheekbones, a reassuring smile on her lips, and tears shining at the corner of her eyes.

“It’s gonna be okay, Sirius. You’re home.”


End file.
